


Displaced

by Starkvenger



Category: Justice League & Justice League Unlimited (Cartoons), Justice League - All Media Types, Shazam! | Captain Marvel (Comics)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - No Powers, Alternate Universe - Still Have Powers, BAMF Billy Batson, Billy Isn't Taking Any Shit, Bruce Wayne is Batman, Captain Marvel Goes Missing, Dimension Travel, Gen, Justice League as Family, Mistaken Identity, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Secret Identity
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-08
Updated: 2019-05-20
Packaged: 2020-02-28 12:34:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18756538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starkvenger/pseuds/Starkvenger
Summary: Captain Marvel is missing.A week passes before Batman suddenly catches sight of him in a traffic camera...in civilian clothes?Wait, what's going on here?(Powerless! Billy gets transported to the Superheroes' world.)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> ENJOYYYY-- this is actually from a defunct RP that no one ever answered but I really liked the idea of.

\- - -

 

Billy Batson yawned as he leaned back in his plush office chair, scratching his head at the pile of paperwork on his desk. He glanced over the various papers, a mess of legal files, media mumbo jumbo, and other such boring papers that were beginning to give him a headache. The 23-year-old rubbed a hand over his eyes before pinching the bridge of his nose. Had he known that taking over for Sterling Morrison had been this much paperwork, he'd have reconsidered taking over as the radio manager.

 

The young man stood up, rolling his neck with a wince before carding a hand through his hair. "I  _have_  to get out of this stuffy office," he said to himself, a habit he'd picked up within the past 6 months of slowly taking over Morrison's duties so the aging man could finally retire. Billy pulled his office door open, smiling warmly at the receptionist, a woman by the name of Gillian that had been there since he started working there as a boy. 

 

She'd been loyal to the station for the past 15 years, and he was grateful to still have her around. "You want me to get you anything while I grab some lunch, Miss Gill?" he asked, closing his office door behind him and stopping in front of her desk. 

 

The aging brunette smiled at him, glancing up from her computer and peering over her thick glasses. "I'm alright, dear. Thank you though," she said, looking back at her monitor. Billy nodded and continued his way out of the building, smiling and making small talk with a few of the employees he'd come to be friends with over his many years at the station by this point.

 

What had started out as Morrison taking pity on a homeless street rat had evolved into an almost father-son bond between the two, and Billy taking over the man's position after 12 years. It was something that still threw him for a loop when he thought about it. He'd been at WHIZ radio for longer than some of the much older employees, which was crazy.

 

At least he had a stable income and a nice apartment near the station.

  

Billy was pulled from his musings at the soft sound of rumbling coming from his abdomen. He didn't realize just how hungry he was- he could kill for a hotdog right about now. The young man made his way to the entrance of WHIZ radio, pushing through the large glass doors and stepping out onto the warm sidewalk.

 

If there was one thing Fawcett City was known for, it was their picturesque spring weather, and today was no different. The sky was a bright blue, with fluffy white clouds dotting the clear air. Vivid green plantlife sprang up around him, and the young radio manager paused to smile at a daisy poking its way between cracks in the sidewalk.

 

Billy continued his walk down the sidewalk, straightening the flannel that he wore as an overshirt. Thankfully, WHIZ wasn't a place where he was forced to wear a stuffy suit every day (even though in all his years of working there he'd never seen Morrison without one) and he could wear something much more his style-- a faded red flannel over top a plain white shirt with jeans.

 

The raven suddenly lit up happily at the sight of a familiar hot dog stand sitting just across the street from the park. He smiled as he walked up, making small talk with the man that ran the stand; a portly man by the name of Tawny.

 

Billy had long since deemed him "Talky Tawny" by how many stories he liked to tell and how many details he always included, and the man took it in stride. 

 

"One with all the works, please, Talky Tawny," Billy said happily, to which the man smiled and started preparing his hot dog. "How's your business been, old friend?" he asked, tilting his head slightly as he shoved his hands into his jeans pockets.

 

The man shrugged, pouring mustard on Billy's hotdog. "Here and there- spring's here and summer's on the way, though, so it's bound to pick up," Tawny said as he spooned relish onto the dog. "Say, Captain, what's your stance on superheroes?" he asked, handing the food over as Billy slid him a five dollar bill. 

 

Billy raised an eyebrow- they hadn't talked about superheroes in such a long time- not since he was a kid, at least. Tawny had been one of the few people, like Morrison, to show him kindness when he was barely 12 and living on the streets.

 

He'd started calling him 'Captain' after hearing (and even witnessing a few) of his many exploits and attempts to keep jerks from picking on homeless people and little kids. The pair used to have conversations like this all the time, about anything an everything- superheroes used to be one of Billy's favorite topics.

 

"The ones from the comic books or real ones like firefighters?" Billy asked before taking a large bite of his hotdog. Tawny chuckled, leaning against the fence and crossing his arms loosely over his chest. 

 

"Comic books.  They used to be your favorites if I remember right." 

 

"Your memory's like a steel trap-" Billy wiped the corner of his mouth with a paper napkin. "Let's see- I think they're cool. Always have. I mean, they're an ideal that we can't really achieve in the real world, so..." he trailed off, glancing at Tawny's raised eyebrow. 

 

"It's true! They're amazing. They can do things that we can't even fathom, things that make a real, honest difference in the world around them. People need heroes like that- beings that are larger than life." 

 

 Billy took another bite, glancing up at the skyscrapers before turning his gaze back on the portly man in front of him. "Still- characters like 'the Amazing Kid' and 'Supreme-o' are just that- characters. We can't really rely on them to change things." he said, finishing his hotdog with another couple of bites before wiping his mouth with the crumpled napkin. 

 

Tawny chuckled softly again- the older man seen something amusing in Billy's words that he didn't. "Don't be so sure, Captain. Those characters might play a bigger role than you think," he said, a mischevious twinkle in his eyes.

 

Billy tilted his head slightly, shaking his head at the man with a grin. "Sure, Tawny. Keep the change, okay?" he said, giving the man a small wave before turning to leave.

 

As he took his leave, however, the young man suddenly doubled over in pain. His eyes widened as a cold, sickening rush ran through him, chilling his spine and making him sweat. He stumbled, nausea taking over his frame as he struggled to stay standing. It felt like there was a sudden pit of dread in his stomach, churning and pulsing throughout his body and sending waves of pain and dizziness throughout him.

 

_**"Most peculiar..."** _

 

 Billy heard a voice, echoing and ancient, ring out in his ears. He tried to find its source in his haze before his knees buckled, sending him breathing heavily down onto the warm sidewalk. His arms wobbled as they tried to keep him up, but sudden exhaustion pulled at his muscles, making them cave. He collapsed onto the concrete, blacking out.

 

\- - -

 

 When he woke up, Billy found himself sitting back on a park bench under a large oak tree. The young man opened his eyes slowly, blinking against the bright sunlight that streamed through the almost luminous leaves. He winced, sitting up straighter and bringing a hand up to his head. 

 

What...happened...?

 

His memory of what exactly led him to be sitting on the park bench was fuzzy. The last thing he remembered was conversing with Tawky Tawny...maybe...maybe he knew what happened? This hadn't happened before, so there had to be some sort of reasonable explanation.

 

Billy stood, albeit shakily, wobbling on his legs as a small wave of nausea rolled through him. He shook it off as best as he could, making his way towards the park entrance and towards where Tawny's hotdog cart was always parked.

 

The closer he got to the man's spot, however, the faster he realized that he  _wasn't there_. That in itself was strange enough, but the fact that there was a plaque surrounded by shrubbery in a place that had never held such a thing confused Billy even more- it wasn't like they could erect such a thing in the time he was passed out. If the sun was still up, it couldn't have been for more than an hour or so.

 

Billy's eyebrows pinched together in confusion, choosing to put this strange experience behind him and get back to the station- he still had an entire pile of paperwork to do. 

 

The 24-year-old attempted to mentally prepare himself for everything that he needed to organize, fill out, and sign, carding a hand through his hair and letting out a breath. At least he was feeling better as time went on. The last thing he needed was Miss Gillian sensing something was up and sending him home early.

 

She was a real mother hen when it came to that sort of thing.

 

Billy came closer to the building, going so far as to reach the door before noticing Morrison, standing at the front desk in one of his iconic grey suits. Why was he here? He'd finished moving his things out last week, and he was supposed to be preparing for a cruise he and his wife were taking. 

 

The raven walked in, walking up to the man with a large, questioning smile. "Mr. Morrison- what are you doing here, sir?" he asked, tilting his head slightly. 

 

The elder man turned back towards him, giving him a looking of pure confusion. That in itself wasn't the part that threw Billy for a loop, however. The real kicker was the lack of recognition, the fact that there was no spark of warmth that always burned in Morrison's eyes when he set his gaze on the younger man.

 

"Do I know you, son?" he asked, putting one hand in his pocket while holding a thick brown cigar in the other. That also didn't make sense- Morrison had given up smoking nearly four years ago, and couldn't be prouder of this achievement. 

 

What was going on here? 

 

"I uh- sorry. I must have made a mistake," he said, blinking as he backed out of the radio station. Until he could figure out what was going on here, it was better to play dumb. Billy left the station in a slight daze, suddenly noticing more minute differences in the world around him that he had been glazing over before. 

 

The awning over a shop he passed by every morning on his walk to work was a different color. A bright red hydrant on the sidewalk was replaced with a dull silver lamp post. The park across the street suddenly had a large wrought-iron sign above its entrance that read "Marvel Park" rather than its usual "Fawcett Park". 

 

Billy swallowed thickly, glancing around him in confusion. What- what did any of this mean? Did this have to do with his blackout? No, no that wouldn't make any sense.

 

Right?

 

The young man suddenly caught sight of someone- or, some _thing_  moving out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head to look at it, only catching sight of the tail end of something black. Curiosity peaked and glad to have something to take his mind off the sudden differences around him he was noticing, Billy followed the black....whatever it was. 

 

He crossed the street to where the black thing had ducked into an alley, stepping around a trash can to look around in confusion. Where did it go...? He wasn't just following a stray cat around, was he? They usually didn't stick around this area of the city.

 

"Captain Marvel."

 

The gruff, low voice came from behind him, causing the 24-year-old to whip around in surprise. The voice seemed to have come from the dark, black-coated figure before him that almost seemed to melt into the shadows around it. It essentially trapped him in the alley, making the already nervous young man even more nervous. 

 

Billy took a couple of uneasy steps back and something in the figure's posture changed. He could suddenly make out a pair of white eyes- or, was that...a cowl? Yea, that was a dark cowl with white eyeslits. The eyes narrowed slightly as they looked at him before going back to their normal size. 

 

"Look I- I don't have any cash on me," Billy said, putting his arms up placatingly. This dude, whoever he was, was seriously creeping him out. Was he being robbed? And why had he called him Captain Marvel? Who was that?

 

The figure's eyes narrowed again before they seemed to trail his form up and down. "Billy," he said after a moment-- okay that was freaky. How did this person know his name?!

 

Billy swallowed thickly, taking another step back and suddenly feeling rough bricks against his back through his flannel and his t-shirt. The figure, thankfully, hadn't taken any further steps closer, which billy was thankful for since he had no idea what he'd do if this got violent.

 

"I didn't mean to scare you," The figure, which by now Billy was fairly certain was a man, said, straightening slightly. It was a bit easier to make out just what he was clothed in now- dark grey armor with black highlights and a sleek, black cape and cowl. He looked like he stepped right off the page of a comic book or a goth kid's fantasy.

 

"You didn't? Cause that kinda almost seems to be the entire purpose of your get-up," he said, looking the man that looked like he was almost dressed like a bat of some sort up and down. "N-no offense..." he trailed off.

 

Wait, was he being robbed or not?

 

"What- what do you want from me?" he asked, looking at his Man-Bat-Guy uneasily. The man let out a small sigh, glancing around the alley.

 

"You don't recognize me, do you."

 

Billy furrowed his brow-- was he supposed to? This wasn't- it couldn't be Freddy, not only did his oldest friend need a pair of crutches to properly get around thanks to his less than stellar bone marrow, he  _definitely_  didn't own any kind of leather bat-monster suit. Billy would know if he did.

 

"Am- am I supposed to?" he asked in confusion.

 

The man pinched the bridge of his nose before pulling out a circular, yellow and black device. Billy's eyes widened- was he about to be tased or something!? Instead, the man spoke into the device with an almost deflated tone in his voice.

 

"Found Marvel. Seems like he has amnesia or something. Explains the lack of contact." he said, pausing for a moment before a female voice came back over the line. 

 

"That's good, Batman. Bring him up, we'll hold a meeting and see what we can do."

 

The newly deemed 'Batman' glanced at him before shutting off the device and putting it back...wherever he'd pulled it from. He let out a sigh before turning his attention towards Billy. "I get how weird this must seem, but you're going to need to trust me," he said, setting his hands on his hips in what he could only  _assume_  was supposed to be a placating gesture.

 

Billy swallowed thickly- did this guy have something to do with why everything was just slightly off? Who was on the other side of that call? Why did this Batguy think he had amnesia? He didn't have amnesia! The 24-year-old looked him up and down before glancing around. He had the feeling he'd be coming with this 'Batman' one way or another, so he chose the option that was less likely to get him knocked out.

 

"O-okay... led the way, Batguy," he said slowly, eyeing the man in a literal  _cape_ (seriously, who did that besides crazy people) with suspicion.

 

Batman nodded once in return, turning with a flourish of his cape and leading the way out of the alleyway.

 

He was gonna need a long nap after all of this was over, Billy could already tell. 

 

 - - -


	2. Chapter 2

 

**He was gonna need a long nap after all of this was over, Billy could already tell.**

 

\- - -

 

 Bat-Guy led Billy down the alleyway and around a corner before he suddenly leaped up onto the lid of a dumpster. "Uh...what are you doing...?" The raven asked, tilting his head slightly at the dramatics. "I thought you were taking me--" he was cut off by a sour look from the bat-clad man.

 

"It would raise alarms if I was seen in Fawcett City. We have to go by the rooftops," he said simply, pulling out what looked like a gun. Billy's eyes widened slightly; what was he planning on doing with that?!

 

He aimed the gun up towards the roof of a high rise, and Billy barely had enough time to cover his ears before he shot it. The young man was surprised when instead of a loud bang, all he heard was a click and whirring noise. Wait- was this guy holding a grappling hook? 

 

"Come on." the bat said, holding out a hand for Billy to grab. The younger man clambered clumsily up onto the rotting dumpster, dusting his flannel off before glancing at the taller man's hand. He took it and they suddenly rocketed upward. Billy attempted to cling to the man for safety, but it was over before he knew it and he was stumbling onto the rooftop of the building. He ended up tripping and landing on the rocks with a grunt, wondering just how far this man was willing to take this whole thing. 

 

Billy sat up, wincing at a couple of scratches on his hand from the rough asphalt before standing up and dusting himself off again. "Okay, okay, this- this is crazy. Please don't tell me we're going to be jumping from roof to roof-" he paused, glancing at the man in black as he stood on the edge of the roof. 

 

"You realize I’m not an acrobat, right?" Billy asked, crossing his arms over his chest. 

 

"It's a three-foot drop from here to the next roof. One more after that and we'll be where we need to be." Bat-guy replied in monotone. 

 

Billy furrowed his brow- if he knew Fawcett, (which he did, like the back of his hand, actually) then this guy was leading him to a fenced-in lot with nothing inside other than a few abandoned photo booths and rotting tires. What was this dude's plan for him? 

 

“Right…and then?” Billy asked, crossing his arms over his chest with an unimpressed look towards the man. The man in question seemed to be growing slightly agitated with Billy’s many questions, but at the same time seemed to have this almost trained patience in his eyes.

 

Maybe he had kids or something?

 

“Then we head up to the Watchtower,” The cowled man said before dropping off the edge of the roof. Billy scrambled after him, pausing to kneel down and look over the edge of the roof. Bat-guy was standing three feet below him, the smallest hints of a smirk on his face as he waited for the young man to follow.

 

“Alright, alright, I’m coming. Don’t look so smug, bat dude.”

 

“It’s Batman.”

 

Billy hopped down, slipping on the loose rocks and landing on his rear with a grunt. “Wait—ow—really?” He asked, tilting his head slightly as Batman helped him up.

 

The caped man nodded once before turning without a word. Billy followed him quietly. “Why am I going along with this…?” He muttered, shaking his head gently before watching Batman climb onto a fire escape and start making his way down.

 

“You really have too much faith in my upper body strength,” Billy commented, following him down and noticing a knowing look on his guide’s face.

 

“I have a feeling you’ll be just fine.”

 

Billy mentally shrugged, chucking the guy’s behavior up to a touch of insanity; I mean, who ran around dressed up like a bat and called themselves ‘Batman’ after all? Batman didn’t seem too dangerous though, so until something happened to change that thought he’d go with whatever this man had planned and let him get it out of his system.

 

Maybe he really could answer some of his questions.

 

Billy touched down in the fenced off area he knew he’d been being led towards, glancing around the lot in confusion. “Right so…what are we doing here again?” He asked, glancing at Batman as he made his way towards an abandoned photo booth.

 

“You know those don’t work, right?” The young raven asked, watching the elder man move the curtain and step inside the booth.

 

Billy walked closer, shoving his hands inside his pockets and leaning against the side of the booth as Batman seemingly messed with the buttons inside the booth. “Listen, uh, this has been interesting and all, but I really need to know what’s—“

 

“Get inside.”

 

Billy furrowed his brow in confusion. “I’m sorry, what?”

 

Batman drew the dark purple curtain to the side and poked his larger frame out, the whites of his eyes focusing on Billy. “I said, get inside.” He said, grabbing hold of the raven’s shirt to pull him inside the booth.

 

Billy was sat down in a surprisingly large seat besides Batman was he pressed a button— his eyes widening when a bright red light came on and scanned the both of them. Hold on, what the heck was going on he—

 

His surroundings were enveloped in white, light blinding him and making the NUMBER-year-old shut his eyes tightly. He felt Batman’s hand grip his arm as a sudden tingly sensation coursed through his body. There was what felt like electricity coursing through him for the second time that day before it was suddenly gone.

 

The young radio station manager found himself standing, his eyes still screwed tightly shut. He opened them, blinking the light from his eyes as he swayed on his feet. Billy brought his hand up to rub at one of his eyes, things around him finally starting to come into focus.

 

“What the heck was that…?” He asked, glancing around in an attempt to find Batman before realizing he was in a completely different place— not only that, this place seemed way more high-tech than any shop he’d ever stepped foot in in Fawcett.

 

“Holy Moley…” he mumbled, his eyes wide as he looked around and took in his surroundings. The place was enormous, not to mention sleek. A large trio of monitors sat against a wall, with a high-tech desk and pair of empty rolling chairs sitting in front of it. To his side were massive, floor-to-ceiling windows with what looked like—

 

WAIT WAS THE SPACE?!

 

Billy found his breath hitching at the sight of Earth in the distance, his feet moving on their own until he was pressing his hands firmly against the glass and staring out at a vast expanse of darkness and stars. It looked so real…but- but it couldn’t be, could it?

 

One minute he’s sitting in a phone booth with a possibly crazy guy, and the next he’s standing in what looked like a _space station!?_

 

Billy was pulled away from both his musings and the view by the clearing of a throat. He glanced back to find Batman standing behind him, watching him with a hint of a smile on his face. “You’re not crazy if that’s what you’re thinking.”

 

“I was actually beginning to settle on a dream,” Billy countered, glancing back outside the large window. “That’s not…real…is it?” He asked slowly, a small, almost desperate laugh on his tongue.

 

Batman nodded once, gesturing with his head for Billy to follow. “This way. The others are waiting.”

 

“Wait, others? What others?”

 

 

\- - -

 

 

Billy was led down a long hallway, and found himself constantly glancing to his side since the floor-to-ceiling window trend seemed to continue throughout…whatever this place was. It was still hard to wrap his head around the thought that this could actually be a space station of some sort, but…

 

The evidence was kind of damning.

 

Batman suddenly stopped in front of him, causing the younger of the two to nearly trip over his own feet in an attempt to not crash into the elder.

 

“We’re here,” Batman said simply, glancing back at Billy. “Don’t worry, Billy. We’re gonna fix this.” He said before the door slid open for him.

 

Billy wanted to ask just what they were going to ‘fix’ but kept his mouth shut, instead choosing to follow the man silently. He’d probably (hopefully) get an answer soon.

 

The door opened into what looked like a meeting room, what with the large and oval wooden table in the center. The only thing that was really jarring about the picture was the fact that there were about a dozen or so people sitting around the table…all wearing spandex.

 

Billy’s eyes widened slowly, pausing in his tracks at the sight of so many colorful costumes. What the heck was going on here? “Uhh…” he said, his mouth hanging open slightly. Were these people just as crazy as Batman?

 

Had Batman brought him here to be inducted into his society of Crazy people!?

 

Billy swallowed thickly as all eyes fell on him, a mixture of confusion, surprise, and pure shock etched into various people’s faces.

 

“Okay, wow. I didn’t even know Cap _owned_ normal clothes,” One man, clad in a form-fitting red suit with a yellow lightning bolt on the chest said, raising an eyebrow as he leaned back in his chair.

 

Billy found himself glancing down at his attire in slight confusion- what was wrong with his clothing? And why was this guy calling him Cap?

 

“It suits him,” another man, a brunet in a green and black outfit replied, looking Billy over. “Though the fact that they don’t stick to him makes him look a lot scrawnier than normal.”

 

“Both of you, stop it. You’re just going to confuse Billy more,” Batman said, taking up one of the two the empty places at the table. Both men shrugged lightly in response but quieted down.

 

“I— I have no idea what’s going on…” Billy said slowly, growing more uneasy by the minute.

 

“Ca— Billy, It alright, we understand. You seem to have amnesia.” A man, well, more of a mountain than a man, said, standing up from his place at the end of the table beside Batman. He was clad in a bright blue suit and red cape, with a bold S emblazoned on his chest and slicked back black hair.

 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Billy replied. They couldn’t be serious, could they? Billy didn’t have amnesia—he couldn’t! He hadn’t been hit in the head or anything…

 

Though…it would be some sort of an explanation for why things were slightly off in Fawcett. “That— that’s not how amnesia works, you can’t just forget entire people. You seem to be people that I wouldn’t forget…” he said slowly, glancing around the table.

 

“Not with uh… costumes like that.” He said, glancing uneasily at a man that looked like he was wearing some half-robot costume thing.

 

“Should I be offended he called my uniform a costume?” The brunet spoke up again, raising an eyebrow behind his green mask. “Cause…I feel a little offended.”

 

Billy put his hands out placatingly, eyes widening a fraction. “Oh no no— no I wasn’t trying to be rude or anything—“ his arm was suddenly grabbed, being yanked to the side by a very strong feminine hand.

 

Billy flinched, looking into the eyes of a black-haired, tan-skinned woman with a fire behind her eyes. He glanced down at his hand, which still had scrapes from the roof on it, before meeting his eyes. The intense heat behind her eyes suddenly cooled, leaving behind a curious, if slightly concerned look.

 

“William, you… you don’t have my father’s gift, do you?” She asked softly, releasing his wrist gently. He brought his hand up to his chest to rub it before glancing down at the minor scrapes.

 

“Your father? I- I don’t understand.”

 

“Zeus. You are not bestowed with his magic.”

 

“Uhhh….Zeus…isn’t real?” Billy Sid with a slightly nervous laugh. He swallowed thickly, glancing at the rest of the table before looking back up at this warrior lady. “Uhm, I uh… I’m sorry…?”

 

The woman looked towards the man in blue and Batman, her eyes turning sad. “This isn’t our Captain. If it is…he doesn’t have my father’s blessing. No Champion, regardless of whether or not they remember they are the Champion, should be able to bleed from such a minor wound as this.”

 

The lady grabbed B illy’s wrist again, showing off the scrapes he’d gotten from running on rooftops.

 

“Could there be another explanation, Diana?” The man in blue asked, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow.

 

“Maybe we should ask someone like Constantine or Dr. Fate? They’re magical experts,” the half-robot man suggested.

 

“Doesn’t Cap’s sister know about this kind of thing? Maybe she’d know if the Wizard dude took Cap’s powers along with his memory or something.” The man in green said in reply.

 

“Mary has been in a constant search for her brother. Bringing her here may give us an answer as to what is going on, but it just may as well complicate things further.” The woman beside Billy, Diana, said.

 

Billy was very, _very_ confused. Apparently, he either had amnesia, or these people had him mixed up with someone else…? He had no clue.

 

“Uh— hold on, I don’t- I don’t have a sister,” Billy said, holding a finger up. “I’m an only child.”

 

Diana glanced at him, that sad look still in her eyes. “You may believe that,” she said softly.

 

“No- no I’m serious. I’ve always been an only child.” Billy retorted, digging his wallet out of his back pocket. He opened it up, digging through its contents and ignoring the loose receipt and crumpled punch card that tumbled out and onto the table.

 

He managed to pull out a couple of old photos of him and his parents— one from his 6th birthday, taken a week before his parents had gone to Egypt and discovered not only a tomb but a whole room full of treasures for the world to enjoy.

 

Another one, taken on Christmas when he was 10, saw him wearing a cape and riding on his father’s shoulders as they soared around the Christmas tree.

 

The last was probably his favorite— it was of him graduating high school, standing between his greying father and beaming mother as he held a diploma with the widest of smiles.

 

It was one of the last photos he had of them all together before the pair died in a cave-in at a dig, leaving him alone in the states.

 

“See? I’ve never had a sister. I’ve always been an only child. It’s always just been my mom, my dad, and me.” Billy said, putting his hands on his waist and spreading his feet slightly. It was a stance he found himself often using when some of his workers were slacking or didn’t believe the things he told them— maybe it’d have the same effect on these guys.

 

The man at the end of the table in blue furrowed his brow, coming around to grab the one of Billy's graduation before studying it closely. He glanced at Billy, staring in the eyes for a moment before setting the small picture back down.

 

“I don’t think we have the right guy,” he said after a moment. “Son, do you recognize…any of us?” He asked slowly, tilting his head slightly in question. “Even from comics or pictures or anything the sort?”

 

Billy swallowed, raising a brow as he shook his head slowly. “Am…am I supposed to?”

 

“I mean, you guys look like you jumped right off the pages of a kid amaze-o comic, but that doesn’t mean a thing,” Billy said, glancing around. When he looked back towards the man in blue, he found himself staring not into his eyes (which immediately put him off since they were the same height) but staring at the man’s S-covered chest.

 

He furrowed his brow and glanced down, only to find the man’s feet not even touching the floor. Billy’s eyes widened and he scrambled backward, stumbling before falling towards the hard floor beneath him.

 

Only— he never actually touched the tile.

 

Billy found himself in the arms of the man dressed in red— how had he managed to get there in the split second that had just— the raven swallowed as the red-suited man set him down before putting his hands on his hips.

 

The young man brought a hand up to his hair and gripped his head tightly, eyes wide as he breathing shortened to rapid bursts. This- this couldn’t be happening. He must have been slipped something, maybe he was dreaming—

 

_‘I can assure you that you’re not dreaming, Billy.’_

 

A voice rang out through his head, echoing in his ears but not actually reaching them. He glanced around for the source of the voice, but found nothing— was he actually going crazy?!

 

A man with green skin— how had he not noticed him before— gave him a look, his eyes narrowed slightly. ‘ _Over here, Billy,’_ he must have said, er, thought…?, his green head jerking slightly.

 

Billy swallowed thickly and took another couple of steps back, feeling the cold, solid wall against the small of his back. What was happening to him? Who— _what_ were these people? Were they even _human_? What hell had he managed to find himself in?

 

Why had he decided to follow Batman in the first place?!

 

\- - -

 

 


End file.
